Divine Love, Endless Thanks (Psalm 136)

“If I could just lose 15 pounds!” “If I could just meet Mr or Mrs. Right...” “If I could just get that promotion, then I could afford to live life to its fullest!”

And yet, when the pounds are gone, When the honeymoon is over, And when the bills are paid, what do we find? That happiness is still just around the corner.

When it comes to the pursuit of happiness, The studies are in. What you think will make you happy, won’t... And yet, what do we do? We continue to look to that next big thing, that will finally make us happy, And ONCE we have that, then we can finally live our lives to the fullest.

But this morning I want to tell you that it’s not true. It’s not. And if you continue to live your life for what you don’t have, instead of appreciating what you have, It will not only sap your joy, but it will ruin every possibility of it.

The 19th century writer and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once talked about this problem, and he brilliantly observed that ‘we are always getting ready to live, but never really living!’ And why are we are not living? Why is it that we always getting ready to live, instead of just living in the moment? It’s because of ingratitude. It’s because of unthankfulness.

This past thanksgiving week I was reading a research article on the benefits on gratitude, which told of how the simple practice of developing an attitude of gratitude in your life can have profound effects on your health and wellbeing. In fact, the studies showed that it provides demonstrable social, psychological, and physical benefits. Even to the point that it changes your brain and a neurobiological level in ways that allow you process and handle stress in a much more effectively! That’s amazing!

And, what else is amazing, is that the more you practice an attitude of gratitude, the easier it becomes to do so, Which continues to provide numerous other benefits! it leads to improved overall happiness, less anxiety and depression, being less likely to suffer from burn out… anyone here ever feel that one before, especially after a busy holiday season? lower heart rate and blood pressure, better sleep quality, more exercise - which also leads to a better overall sense of wellbeing. and greater feelings of appreciation towards others. And all the result of developing an attitude of gratitude. Like who here couldn’t use more of that?

But notice I said DEVELOPING an attitude of gratitude - not simply HAVING an attitude of gratitude. Because that’s what you have do if you want to benefits that come with gratitude! You have to develop it! It’s not like a hat you put on from time to time. Which is why neuroscientist Glenn Fox of the University of Southern California said it was like a muscle. You have to work at it. You have to train self in it. Which is why upon completing the research on gratitude, Fox had this to say:

“I think that gratitude can be much more like a muscle, like a trained response or a skill that we can develop over time as we’ve learned to recognize abundance and gifts and things that we didn’t previously notice as being important. And that itself is its own skill that can be practiced and manifested over time.”

And so understanding this, the researchers had their patients begin things like starting a gratitude journal where they would reflect and meditate on things to be thankful for. Which included thinking back on hard times in their life, The people who love them, Great experiences and opportunities they’ve had, And writing down ways they can actively express gratitude towards others on a regular basis. Which includes tipping and charitable giving! because the studies shows they lead to higher levels of well-being! So remember that the next time the offering plates go by!

And so there you have it, if you want to avoid spending your entire lives always getting ready to live, but never really living, Then what do you have to do? You must work to develop an attitude of gratitude, Which is exactly what the Psalmist invites us to in Psalm 136, And he invites us to do this by meditating upon the ultimate reason for gratitude, which is the the never-ending love of the Lord.

And so this morning, we are going to do just that, We are going to WORK at developing an attitude of gratitude by reflecting upon 3 aspects of God’s love as revealed in this Psalm.

To develop an attitude of gratitude we must meditate upon:

1. The greatness of God’s love.
2. The graciousness of God’s love.
3. The grandness of God’s love.

In Psalm 136, we come to a Psalm that makes up what Jewish Tradition calls: “The Great Hallel” Which means of a Psalm of Praise. And these Psalms of praise were poetry that were meant to be sang. But the point of the Psalm is simple, Which is in verse 1 and again in verse 26.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1 ESV

When it says to “give thanks,” this Psalmist isn’t just telling us to have good manners. He’s not simply saying: “Make sure you mind your P’s and Q’s.” Or your pleases and thank yous. The Hebrew word is much more loaded than that.

The word the Psalmist uses for “Give thanks” means to “confess” or “acknowledge.” But if you are going to do that, you have to know what you are confessing or acknowledging. Which means you have to THINK! You have to PONDER! You have to MEDIATE! Or we might say, you have to start a gratitude journal in your heart that you continually reflect upon and add to. Which we really should do! I was just listening to a video by Dr. Jordan Peterson, whom I know many of you listen to, And even though he’s not a Christian, he pointed out that if you want to be less of an insufferable person, start praying about things like this! Because even if there isn’t a God (and there is), it will improve your overall wellbeing and happiness! And so we all need to work at developing an attitude of Gratitude. And in verse 1, The Psalmist starts that process for us! “Give thanks!” Why? Because the Lord is good . . .

“Give thanks!” Why? “because His steadfast love ENDURES forever!” “Give thanks to the God of Gods! The Lord of Lords! “because His steadfast love ENDURES forever . . .”

This past week during our family worship, we ready Psalm 136 in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon, and it in, I walked my family through the text, and just asked very simple questions. Questions like what does that mean that He’s good? It means that He’s not only good - which is marvelous enough! But He’s GOOD TOWARDS US! The GOD OF GODS! THE LORD OF LORDS is good towards us with a stead fast love that endures forever! and this a truth we DESPERATELY NEED to both reflect upon, AND constantly remind ourselves of!

Why though? . . . Because if we don’t ... Not only will be develop an attitude of ingratitude, But we will seek the love from cruel, lesser gods.

Think about it... What other god has done such great and loving wonders for us? What God but Yahweh God has made the heavens! Spread out the earth above the waters! Made the sun that rules the day and the moon and stars that rule the night! It wasn’t RA - the Egyptian Sun god it wasn’t Khonsu - the Egyptian moon god. No - it was YAHWEH GOD, who crushed those false gods and freed His people from slavery and bondage in Egypt!

And yet, so often we turn to other gods and serve them, hoping that they will serve us with loving kindness, When they will only serve us with cruelty, bondage, and despair.

Do you regularly stop and look at the wonders of creation and think: “Wow! The Lord of Lords made all of this for me!” From the warm days to the cold, From the sunny days to the cloudy, All of this is an expression of His divine love for us! From sunsets, to sunrises, From beaches to deserts, to jungles, The creation is God’s divine masterpiece that portrays His steadfast love for us! As verse 25 says: “He gives food to all flesh!” And why? “because His steadfast love endures forever!

Think about it! Just compare Mars to earth sometime and think: “I wonder if God’s love is seen in that contrast?” Because it certainly is!

Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:

Isaiah 42:5 ESV

And yet, how quickly we forget this. How quickly we turn inward, and think we are deserving of more.

That’s why we aren’t we thankful to Yahweh God as we should be. We look at everything that God has done for us, and like Adam in the garden, we think: “I deserve better than this...” "I deserve more!” “I deserve every tree of the garden!” And as we discussed last week, this mentality comes from disregarding the first two of the 10 commandments, which calls us to serve God and God alone. The one who is the true God, The God of gods, and the Lord of Lords.

And because we forget the evidence of God’s goodness towards us, the evidence of His steadfast enduring love, We quickly turn to other gods, which results in us breaking all of the other 10 commandments. We envy - because we think we deserve that. We lust - because we deserve that too! We lie, We steal - and all the rest Because those are the path to true happiness.... Or so we think. And yet, all of those acts of worship towards false gods only leave us enslaved and miserable.

Still though, the Lord is good, and His love does not run out! For even though we turned against His love, His love is a gracious love that relentlessly pursues us in our self-inflicted misery. Which leads us to the second aspect of His love we do well to meditate on.

To develop an attitude of gratitude we must meditate upon:

1. The greatness of God’s love.

In verses 10-24, we find a brief, very brief, recounting of all that God did for the Israelites when they were in bondage. He utterly destroyed Egypt - which was the ruling power of that time. And then He led them to the promised land - a land flowing with milk and honey - where he continually defeated their great enemies! The lesser gods who are no gods at all! And He did all of this because Israel was so faithful and obedient to Him! Because they were so THANKFUL towards Him!

WRONG! They were terrible! They were the absolute worst! They not only disobeyed Him and longed to be back in Egypt as we saw last week from Psalm 95. But they continually rebelled against Him and worshiped false gods! And yet, the Lord remained good towards them, For His steadfast love endures forever!

If the rebellious nation of Israel doesn’t prove the steadfast enduring love of God, then I don’t know what does! Because He continued to love them despite their failings! And why? Because their loveliness was never the basis for His love! What was?

In Deuteronomy chapter 7, we are given that answer. Because in that chapter it says that God didn’t love them because they were stronger, or mightier than the other nations, Because that definitely wasn’t even remotely true! No, it says: “I love you because I love you...” IT’S A CIRCULAR argument! And my friends, that is the absolute BEST kind of love there is!

Think about it: If you ask me why I love my wife, and I say: Because she makes a MEAN casserole! or because “I just love her blonde hair...” Ok... But what happens if she forgets how to cook or her hair turns grey... What happens to my love? Does it endure? NO! It’s gone, because it was contingent upon HER NOT ME!

But God’s love is not like that! His love is steadfast and endures forever, regardless of how many casseroles we burn or how many grey hairs show up! And if that’s not a reason to give thanks, then I don’t know what is!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

And because they are new every morning, we need to reflect upon them! We need to log them in our gratitude journals and let them seep down deeply into our hearts! Which is one the things we try to do EVERY, SINGLE, Sunday together as the people of God! We aren’t just singing songs cuz we are sing-songy people! Trust me… I know... Some of us can’t hit right note if our life depended on it! No, we sing these songs of praise and thanks to God as we meditate upon the reasons for for praising and giving thanks to Him!

What love could remember no wrongs we had done, Omniscient, all-knowing, He counts not their sum, Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore, Are sins they are many, His mercy is more!

Yes my friend, our sins they are many… and if God’s love for us was based upon that, we’d all be toast! But praise God His love is not based upon our loveliness but HIS loveliness, which is: Great - greater than all other gods! It is gracious! For He loves us despite our failings! And it is grand, For it continues on and on forever, Overcoming every obstacle in it’s way, which includes our sin.

To develop an attitude of gratitude we must meditate upon:

In this Psalm when it speaks of the steadfast love of God, it uses the Hebrew word “Hesed,” Which is a covenantal love, not a contractional love. Which is why it’s an enduring love.

And that word that describes God’s love shows up in this passage not once, not twice, Not three times, You can go ahead and count them - it’s 26 TIMES! And it’s a rescuing love that helps those in need,

It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Psalm 136:23-24 ESV

As we said earlier, Psalm 136 is the last of the Great Hallel Palms. And it was traditionally associated with the great Jewish feast of passover, where the Israelites stopped to mediate upon God’s love and what He did for them when He brought them out of slavery in Egypt. Which makes sense, because verses 10-22 speak just that. Those verses speak of the Exodus and how God not only struck down the first born in Egypt, But He struck down the Israel’s great enemies and led them out of bondage into freedom!

And yet, as New Testament Christians, we know of an even greater exodus, where God remembered us in low estate and rescued from our spiritual bondage. And He did that through Jesus Christ.

This past week, I was listening to a preacher on this passage, Who pointed out how the night before Jesus died, He partook in the passover meal with His disciples, where He instituted the Lord’s supper. And as we saw from our study through the Gospel of Matthew, after He finished that meal with them, what did He do? He sang of hymn of praise with His disciples, and traditionally, that means that the last song on Jesus’s lips was Psalm 136.

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Matthew 26:30 ESV

And so right before Jesus would have left the upper room, He would have sang: “For His steadfast loves endures forever!”

And as He headed down the Kidron valley and then up the mount of olives, what was in His mind and heart? “His love endures forever!”

As He was on the mountainside, praying with sweat drops of blood, pleading with the Father, and praying “Father, If it be your will, let this CUP pass from me!” Which was the cup of God’s wrath upon sin! What did Jesus do upon Hearing His father’s answer? He stood up, and marched boldly towards the cross where He would drink down the full cup of God’s wrath. And why? Because Psalm 136 was His heart: “For His love endures forever!”

On the cross, Jesus drank the cup of God’s judgment so you and I could drink the cup of His thanksgiving. And as was pointed out to me, is exactly what we are remembering when we take the Eucharist. That’s what Eucharist means, It’s the Greek Word for thanks

And that’s what the Lord’s Table is, it’s a spiritual thanksgiving feast! Because it’s a celebration where we say: “I justly deserve the cup of God’s judgment, but in Christ, I can drink down God’s love and forgiveness than endures forever!”

with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Psalm 136:12 ESV

In a moment, as we take the Lord’s supper, I invite you to think of this verse in light of what Jesus did for us. Where He saved us with a strong hand, With an outstretched arm, that was nailed to the cross where He suffered and died for us, so we can live in His love for all of eternity. Thank you Jesus!

The gospel. It requires recognizing that we too were in a low estate as verse 23 says, And that by simple FAITH we can turn to Jesus and be rescued from our spiritual foes, And bask in His steadfast love for all eternity. Where we will see just how true Lamentations 3:23 is, which says,

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

Verse 26 says:

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 136:26 ESV

As we said earlier, the word for “give thanks” means to think or acknowledge. It means to meditate... And so as we go to the table, I encourage you to do just that this morning! Think of all of the goodness God had shown towards you! Towards us as a church! Let us not be like the 9 of the 10 lepers who Jesus healed and only 1 returned to thank Him! Instead, by faith, may we live a life of thanks to the God who is Good, The God of Gods The Lord of Lords, Who alone does great wonders! Who saved us with a strong and mighty outstretched hand! And as we develop an attitude of gratitude, we will find that we can’t help ourselves but live life to the fullest now, knowing that NOTHING will separate us from the steadfast enduring love of the Lord.

This is the manuscript the sermon was preached from, so the recording may differ in places.